Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the honourable member for McEwen do take the chair of this House as Speaker.

I firmly believe that there is no more experienced member of this House to take the chair than my friend the member for McEwen. We have heard much about the next chair of this House to follow the member for Casey. I think my colleagues would agree that the member for McEwen would be the best person to follow the member for Casey. Not only is he a fine local member of a periurban-cum-regional-cum-growth area seat, which gives him a breadth of experience of the Australian life; the member for McEwen has also served in this parliament in various roles. He has been a whip, and we know that is the most important job in the House. He has been a member of the Speaker's panel since 2012. He has also been the Second Deputy Speaker for the entire term of this government. No-one has been closer to observe the member for Casey than the member for McEwen over the eight years of this government. He is clearly the most experienced member of this House to take on the role.

Having joined the parliament in 2013, I have witnessed personally a number of times that the member for McEwen has sat with individuals in this chamber to talk to them about procedure, to explain the Practice or to give advice about what is parliamentary and what is not parliamentary. He is a great source of advice to parliamentarians. I only have one hesitation, and that is that it would put another Carlton supporter in that chair! But I am sure the member for Casey thinks that's a grand idea.

I believe the member for McEwen has served as a great Second Deputy Speaker for eight years in this place while I have been here, and I know my colleagues agree. I think he has a level of experience and a level of parliamentary maturity, which includes time in the Victorian parliament, which gives him an insight into other parliaments as well as our own. I think it is time that this House had a truly unique experience of having someone from this side of the House serve in that chair. As a friend and colleague of the member for McEwen, I am honoured to nominate him as Speaker for this House.

The Clerk: Is the motion seconded?

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